Baby Steven

Sorry everyone that it has taken me awhile to update this post. I've been trying to play recovery and its been quite the ordeal, but now everything is going much better and we're home finally thank goodness. So while I'm sitting back and being lazy with my Mom slaving away in the kitchen, I thought I'd take some time to blog about how our wonderful little miracle, Steven, came into the world.

The whole thing started Thursday morning after I'd had a rough night of really bad menstrual cramps. I woke up at 6:30 to go to the bathroom to find a very big "bloody show" I remember my sisters always saying that they had this the day before they delivered (sometimes hours before) and I'd read online that this usually meant that your cervix was opening and you'd be having the baby soon most likely. So I got really excited and told Mike. Then neither of us could go back to bed...too excited and my cramps were still pretty bad. Around 7:30-7:45ish the pain transferred to my lower back. I'd get this feeling while on my period so I contributed it to the cramps. However, when I called my sister, she asked for more details and after I explained that the pain came and went, she thought I was in labor and having a back labor instead of front. Next time it happened I paid more attention to my stomach and sure enough it was contracting, but I was just feeling it in my back. Around 9 something we went into the doctor and I had started dilating, went from a 1 1/2 two days ago to a soft 3 and 90%. They sent me home to keep walking and trying to progress farther on my own and with orders to take a nap.

Home we went and we were able to take about a 2 hour nap. We then kept walking around but while consistent, my contractions weren't getting harder or closer together-they ranged from about 5-10 minutes apart. The office closed at 5, and I wanted to be checked one more time before they were gone, so at 4:45 we went back in and I had dilated to a 4. Rachel, the midwife who was checking me and was on call to deliver, said that she wouldn't be surprised if I was in the hospital by 8 or 9 tonight. She was right! My contractions finally started hurting (haha who wishes for that? ME!:) and for half an hour were coming every other contraction 3 or 6 minutes apart so averaging about 4 minutes. Then the next half hour they were every 2 to 3 minutes so we decided to head on up and above is the admitting picture when they checked me. I was dilated to a 5! So sad, I was hoping I'd be farther along but oh well. Below is a picture of me in the bed after getting admitted and having my IV started.


I was wanting to try to go natural, so after Rachel arrived we headed off for a walk around the hospital to keep the contractions going, bouncing on the ball, even did the jacuzzi before I was ready to push at 11:45.


Here is Mike geared up and ready to go! Our Midwife, Rachel, was very nice and awesome! She was willing to let Mike do as much as he wanted to with the delivery and so he gowned up and she put her hands on top of his as he helped guide Steven's head out. Mike ended up not finishing helping because he felt bad about "roughing" Steven up when she was helping his head out. He wasn't able to cut the cord initially either sadly (he was able to trim after under the warmer). This was due to Steven having the cord around his neck twice, he swallowed some meconium, and he was floppy and didn't cry right away. Rachel threw him on my chest to cut the cord before they whisked him away and I remember thinking, "Holy cow! That was in me? He's HUGE!" And then it registered I hadn't heard him cry yet and so I kept yelling over at the warmer to the NICU nurse and Respitory Therapist (RT), "Is he okay? Is he going to be okay?" My nurse, Carli, reassured me he was crying now and pinking up so he'd be okay. Then I turned back and looked down at Rachel and saw her face and thought, "Am I okay?" She looked really worried and then turned to my nurse and said, "She's bleeding, get pitocin running right now and get cytotec now!" Rachel was really calm about it all, but I could tell it was serious and I remember at one of my sister's births where she was bleeding and they kept instructing her to tell her body to stop bleeding, so I started telling myself to stop. After a little while Rachel gave a big sigh and said, "Okay, I think we're okay...my heart really got racing there for a minute but I think we're in the clear now." So, back to Steven...he was born at 1:08 AM Friday morning on September 9, 2011 and weighed in at 8 lbs 11 oz and was 22 inches long! Can you say BIG baby? :)

Here is a picture Mike got of the clock shortly after Steven was born so that we could remember.



Steven at the warmer being worked on by the RT and NICU nurse. All is well :)

Mike was able to help my labor nurse, Carli, give Steven his first bath and change Steven's first diaper. I think this might have been one of the very first diapers Mike has ever changed which made for an entertaining and fun experience :)

The diaper change :)

Beginning of the bath.

What a sweet Daddy :) Carli had to keep telling him it was okay to press harder to get him clean.

Mike was scared to do this part so Carli washed his hair.

Carli was an amazing nurse and such a support for me. While pushing and inbetween contractions she stayed right by me and kept telling me I could do it when I'd look at her and say I couldn't. I was able to brave it through and go natural...crazy I know! But yes, I was really grateful for all of the support I got through Carli, Rachel, and of course my amazing husband Michael during that time. I couldn't have done it without them. By the way, you may have noticed, Carli was pregnant as well and has two little kids already so she had great experience and tips for me.

Proud Daddy with baby Steven.

And enjoy some pictures of little Steven.

Some people have asked if Steven has red hair and I can kind of see why this picture might show that. However, I can't really even see hints of red normally. I would say his hair is medium brown and very cute. I was shocked we had a baby with hair since both of us were bald, but Steven has a head full! :)

My first time holding Steven for real. He isn't breast feeding (my mom at first thought he was), we're just doing skin to skin that they recommend as soon as possible after to warm him up and to help the bonding process. I don't know how much I needed it...I was already bound as tight as you could get to this little boy the first time I saw him but I still enjoyed holding him :)

Another sweet picture of Steven. I just love this boy so much! :)


The room that we stayed in on the Mom Baby Unit had its air conditioning broken. Lucky for me they found a fan that kept me cool, but it was way too hot for Mike to sleep so after that first night he went home and would sleep. I woke up Friday night to find this:

Mike had gone home for the night but was missing us too much so he came back up and was holding Steven when I woke up. He ended up going back home because try as he may, it was just way too hot in there! I felt bad he wasn't able to stay, but I'm glad he was at least able to get good sleep and that he loves us so much to come back in to see his wife and son, even in the middle of the night! Love this man, love my son. I am so grateful for both of these amazing individuals in my life and still can't believe we've been so blessed with such an amazing son!